In Memory

Not only were Scott and I in the same class, but his house was on my paper route,his backyard on Erie was in my backyard on Morewood, and I even let him drive my '57 Chevy after I had a knee operation our senior year. I recall us being movie monitors at the noon movies in Jr. High, in school plays together in high school, working on cars in his back yard, the celebration parties the night before we went back to college, and Mary and I even stopping to see Scott and his wife during our "honeymoon". I kind of lost track of Scott after that, but sure remember him now.

Scott Salter was a good friend. We met at Beech elementary school and served together as acolytes at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Lakewood. In high school Scott, Jeff Bryden, Rick Boswell and several other classmates worked on vintage, minimalist, British automobiles. My 1948 Anglia was more or less complete, but Scott’s was in parts, scattered about his parent’s garage and driveway. It took an entire summer’s vacation to rebuild the engine and mount it on the frame. Anxious to road test our efforts, we attached a lawn chair to serve as the drivers seat, and successfully drove it to the Rocky River drive-in where the car-hop was flummoxed by the fact that there was no place to attach the tray. On our way to Wager Beech we were ticketed for having an incomplete, unlicensed automobile on the highway. “Do you boys understand what kind of danger you have created for yourselves?” the office asked. Of course we did. That was the point. Several weeks later we were racing it around a grade school parking lot. The lawn chair came loose with Scott in it. He tumbled onto the asphalt still seated. Jeff and I jumped to safety as the Anglia crashed into the side of the school leaving a visible crack in the brick and mortar facade. In time, Scott got enough cash together to buy a car that actually had a body and real seats. He had also acquired his first “girl friend,” whose presence in his life made windows, doors and seats essential. The Anglia frame and engine were abandoned. Scott was also a member of the Odd Fellows Motorcycle Club and the clandestine, explosive NEORA (North Eastern Ohio Rocket Association). Scott was an intelligent, creative and adventurous young man. I’m sure those admirable aspect of his character only matured in him after graduation. Doug Weiss

Like Doug Weiss, I considered Scott a good friend, and clearly recall our adventures with Scott’s Anglia. At one point, this vehicle required two “drivers” – one to handle the steering wheel, brakes, clutch and gear shift, and one to work the gas. There was no gas pedal, just a string attached to the throttle arm on the carburetor which was operated by the right seat “co-driver.”I had gas duty on several occasions, and like most who operated the throttle string, thought it should be wide open most of the time. Why we didn’t get hurt with this “car” I’ll never understand!

Scott graduated to a 56 Chevy convertible, in which we installed a new engine working in his backyard on Erie Road. Scott always seemed to have the best wheels, whether his own or his parents, and of course, for teen age boys, nothing is more important, not even girls! Most of us had to rely on using our parents cars, and this led to much verbal abuse. Jeff Bryden drove a big Oldsmobile which would burn rubber until the tires were gone; Dave Feuer had his DeSoto with tail fins to the sky; Bill Fruhan had a Plymouth Valiant, which we actually thought was cool at that time. Scott always had the best wheels, though.

Scott had an interest in the stage, and I recall that he appeared in a number of school plays over the years. One which stands out in my mind was at RRJHS in which Scott played the Emperor in a play called "The Emperor's New Clothes", based on the fable by the same name. Scott had to appear on stage minimally clothed, as the Emperor's new clothes were no clothes at all. I remember wondering at the time why he would do that, but he did it with grace!

Scott, like me, was interested in flying. We hatched a grand plan to acquire a Piper Comanche (at the time a newly introduced high performance single engine airplane) and fly it around South America. The plan wasn’t too clear on just how we would make such an acquisition.

Great times!

Regrettably, I lost touch with Scott after his family moved from RR around our Sophomore year in college.